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Belle's Stratagem - Hardy. He's much to blame - Lord

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Wives as they were - Lord

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Such Things are Sir Luke Travellers in Switzerland

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She Stoops to Conquer Tony Fortune's Fool Sir Bamber Lumpkin.

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Every one has his Fault - Midnight Hour General.

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His last new part was in the Eccentric Lover, an unsuccessful comedy by Mr. Cumberland.

CARLO MARATTA..

"ON the 29th May, 1803, the second son of the Duke de Cefarini attempted to carry off the daughter of the famous painter Carlo Maratta, as she was going to church, attended by four armed men; the young gentle

woman defending herself, and making resistance, was wounded in the head and face, as was also her mother, who held her in her arms. The pope being made acquainted with it, ordered a party of soldiers and sbirries to surround the palace of Cefarini, but they came oo late, for the criminal had time to make his escape, by the way of Tivoli, into the kingdom of Naples: some that assisted him (however) in that action are taken up and imprisoned."

Monthly Register, 4to. June, 1703.

So remarkable a circumstance does not appear to have been recorded by the biographers of this illustrious painter. It has been transmitted to us by a LOVER OF THE ARTS, resident at Lichfield.

THE EMPIRE OF AVA

CONVERTED TO THE RELIGION OF MAHOMET.

AN ORIENTAL ANECDOTE OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
From the French.
PART I.

WHO has not heard of the Empire of Ava? The invincible Kien-Hang reigned there a hundred and fifty years ago. He was descended in a direct line from a cousin of Tohi, and a feinale cousin of Vishnou; he was a wise and penetrating monarch, and therefore bore the title of the Light of the Lights who illuminate the East. The Turkish historians have recorded that Kien-Hang resembled the Sultan Soleiman, one of the greatest of the Ottoman emperors, and the wisest of men. KienHang had numberless wives, besides concubines, but they did not always succeed in amusing him. It was customary in the empire of Ava to express ennui by gaping very wide, and repeating this symptom frequently; and the emperor conformed to the usages of his country.

Among all his women, there was but one who could remove this desire of frequently gaping. Her name was Nahela, a little Cochin-Chinese, who, though yet very young, had not only felt the influence of love, but also

some of the pains and dangers which accompany that passion.

The wise emperor was very knowing, it is true; but he knew not every thing; he had never imagined, for instance, that Nahela had imbibed the rudiments of a liberal education in a conservatory of Baiaderes, that an enterprizing young Cochin-Chinese had run away with her from thence; nor that she was surprized one day as she was amusing herself, according to the practice of her country, with fishing, by some pirates, who carried her off as their prize. They respected, however, her sex; and she was just fifteen years old when, still a virgin, innocent, and bashful, she was sold to Kien-Hang, the emperor of Ava, the Light of the Lights who illuminate the East.

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One day while his highness was expressing his ennui after the usual manner of Ava, Nahela said to himWhy, my Lord, should you yawn thus, you who are so happy! They tell me too you have eight hundred and thirty-six wives." "Is it not enough, dear Nahela?" "It is too much, my Lord?" “Do you think so?' "Yes, I do." "Truly?" "Truly:-Besides, you are beloved by all your wives-do they not love you, my Lord,? ” They do, Nahela! Three thousand white eunuchs, the same number of black, guard the courts and the gardens of the seraglio of Ava; an army of a hundred thousand men surrounds the avenues of my throne." "So, a hundred and six thousand men, including the eunuchs, are answerable for the love, and, doubtless, also for the fidelity of your wives.-Is this all?" "Ten thousand elephants precede my palanquin; Ava, prostrate at my feet——” Good! I see that it is impossible that you should be deceived; I congratulate you, my lord: but, independent of these ineasures of precaution, tell me, I beg of you, how you know that your eight hundred and thirty-six wives love you?" "I know so, my sweet Nahela, just as I know you love me!"

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It was thus conclusively that the great Kien-Hang proved to the wife he loved best that he was beloved by all the rest of his wives. He had by this time ceased yawning, and he pressed Nahela gently in his arms, Nahela grew less bashful. She tenderly caressed the Sultan, who repeated to her two or three times that she was beautiful as the morning star, and bright as the rays

of the sun when they open the young buds of the rose of Siam.

"That's pretty enough," said Nahela to herself; "But Ta-Haider (that was the name of the young Cochin-Chinese) never made use of comparisons like these." Ta-Haider loved with more simplicity, and his manner of loving was not disagreeable to Nahela, who could not help making her comparisons, which, unfortunately, were not much to the advantage of the manner in which his highness testified his affection.

Nahela then sighed, and the tears came into her eyes. "Dearest of my wives," said the monarch, "why do you weep?"-And the dearest of his wives replied, "It is owing to love, my lord." Kien-Hang endeavoured to console her, and asked "What is there wanting to your happiness, Nahela ?"

A young Cochin-Chinese was wanting to the favourite's happiness; but she said nothing: "What is it that you desire?" continued the Sultan, your wishes shall be instantly gratified. Would you see an elephantchace, a procession of Fakirs, Talapoins, or Bonzes?-Oh, you prefer the Bonzes?"

--

Nahela, smiling, made a sign that she had no such preference: "What would you then, my child; Do you want other slaves; are you discontented with your eunuchs; or do you wish to have a greater number of them?"

"Alas! no!" Nahela was not very well satisfied with the service of her eunuchs, but she did not appear to desire any others.

One day when the Sultan had exhausted his questions and his offers, the sound of several instruments was suddenly heard in the second court of the seraglio. It proceeded from tymbals, bells, castanets, gongs; a RingRang * in short, sufficient to break the tympanum of every ear unaccustomed to the Cochin-chinese music.

"A Ring-Rang!" exclaimed Nahela. "It is the ambassador from Cochin-China making his entrée," added Kien-Hang. "Let us go and see it," said the favourite.

The Sultan conducted her to a window, close to which

* Mr. Barrow, in his Travels in Cochin-China, says that a chorus accompanied by these instruments is called, in the Cochin-Chinese language, Ring-rang. The gong is a Cochin-Chinese instrument.

the retinue was to pass. I want the pen of an orientalist to describe this procession. There were elephants majestically waving their trunks; Fakirs, marching gravely, with their eyes fixed on their breasts; Talapoins gamboling and leaping; Dervises, with their hands crossed, and their eyes on the ground; the ambassador, borne in a palanquin, amusing himself with a couple of apes; Cochin-Chinese nobles; people, guards, &c. &c. What was Nahela's astonishment when, in the midst of the dervises, she saw her beloved countryman: she uttered a loud cry, which was instantly heard by TaHaider.

[Part the Second in our next.]

MELANGE.

No. V.

Chacun à son gout.

MADAME DE CORNUEL.-A lady in the country hav ing begged Madame de Cornuel to seek a governor for her son, specifying such a number of qualifications as never came to the share of any one man; Madame de C. wrote her the following answer. "Madame, I have enquired after such a governor for your son as you have described; I have not yet found one, but I shail continue my enquiries; and I assure you that the instant I have met with one who exactly answers your description, I shall marry him.

ADDISON'S CATO.—In a Dutch translation of this tragedy, the version of the soliloquy is curious. It commences thus: "Just so,- -you are very right, Mynheer Plato."

GENIUS NOT HEREDITARY.-A late eminent Lord Chancellor was remarkable for having stupid children. A confidential friend one day took the liberty of expresssing his surprize, that a man of his lordship's extraordinary head should have such weak children. Why, sir," said the Chancellor, "I did not get them with my head."

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